Planting fear, mistrust leads to bad decisions

There is a mindset, based on fear, mistrust and dissension, that sometimes allows our political leaders to separate us from our legitimate needs and rights.

Using the fear that our basic values are being abused by others, it motivates us to work against our own self-interests. For example, we will vote against a candidate who opposes teacher-led prayer in schools, even though that candidate might support every other point of view that we favor.

This mindset uses mistrust to raise the specter of voter fraud, even when no evidence of voter fraud is evident. And once we buy into the fraud idea, we can easily be divided from our right to vote by those who will make it so difficult or impossible to exercise that right that we will simply give up.

This allows our representatives to assert fraud within Medicaid or food stamp programs. The dissension created leads to cutbacks or denials of services to all who use them, not just the fraudulent ones. Those truly in need are divided from their basic human rights because we will not ask the extremely wealthy to pay a larger share.

The mindset is called (Billy) Long division.

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Planting fear, mistrust leads to bad decisions

There is a mindset, based on fear, mistrust and dissension, that sometimes allows our political leaders to separate us from our legitimate needs and rights.